The Last Line of Defense
by Tw0nk
Summary: The magical world is sent into chaos when Voldemort retaliates swiftly at the start of Harry's 6th year. Hard decisions and strategic battle plans must be made for the surviving members of the order, and a new base of defense must be established to have any chance in winning the war as both staff and students of Hogwarts are pulled right into the thick it.
1. Chapter 1

It was chaos.

Harry had been back at Hogwarts no longer than a few hours before an emergency meeting had been called in the great hall for all students and staff.

The ministry had fallen.

Voldemort had attacked quicker and with more force than anyone could have imagined. His followers planted inside the ministry had carried out one of the most ruthless and efficient coups in history. Hundreds of ministry workers dead, the minister captured and what left of the auror force was routed. How he managed it so quickly after the previous attack which left Sirius Black dead was anyone's guess. Dumbledore had called everyone down to the great hall to explain this the moment Kingsley's Patronus had finished its message – he had narrowly escaped and was currently in hiding along with much of the Order of the Phoenix.

Horror struck out across the great hall. Tears, screams, panic. Dumbledore rose his voice to continue his message. 'The heads of house will each be talking to you individually' His tone sombre and defiant yet for the first time Harry had noticed some vulnerability to it. 'Words cannot express the horror that has been committed this night' Dumbledore continued, desperately trying to maintain a hold of himself, both students and staff entering a silent daze as the events of the night were told to them. Hermione was trembling next to Harry at the Gryffindor table as she sobbed onto his shoulder next to him. Harry felt numb at the extent of the carnage and loss of life, praying that the Weasley's were okay as he looked over to Ginny and Ron opposite him, Ron's arm around Ginny desperately trying to maintain composure, the air of uncertainty of their father's wellbeing looming over them. The great hall, usually full of laughter and happiness now felt like all the life had been sucked out of it. First years, who just hours ago looked so joyous too be placed in their new houses, making new friends and eating their first Hogwarts feast now inconsolable and heartbroken. Harry felt sorry for Dumbledore for having to deliver such a horrible message. He of course had to, it would be the biggest injustice to lie and cover it up, but the way in which he dealt with it was truly admirable when Harry knew how much of an impact this would've had on him. Dumbledore explained now that Hogwarts was currently the safest place to be, all outside access, including floo's and portkeys had been blocked off and the castle was essentially in lockdown. Classes were cancelled until further notice as the staff had to plan their next course of action. As students were sent away house by house to their dormitories Dumbledore approached Harry to tell him to meet him in his office in the morning tomorrow.

It was a silent trudge back to the Gryffindor dorm. The uncertainty and lack of information hung over everyone's heads. Who was killed? What's happened to the survivors? Has anywhere else been attacked? How did Voldemort manage it so quickly? One question that had been answered for Harry however, was why Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle and several other Slytherins hadn't bothered returning this year. Everyone had crammed into the common room. A few people had gone up to their room to try and sleep, but the vast majority waited downstairs for if there was any more news. Very few words were spoken. Ron had tried to take his mind of things by playing chess against Seamus, but they gave up after a few turns. McGonagall entered the common room at around midnight, huge bags hanging under her eyes which were lined with tears. She called a three people over one by one to talk to them in private looking visibly shaken and battling through tears. Harry could only conclude that a relative had been confirmed as one of those killed during the attack. The sixth years that hadn't gone up to their bedroom were all gathered around the fireplace. She came over to Ron and Ginny and explained that Mr Weasley was not killed in the attacks however he had not managed to get to one of the safehouses yet and must be in hiding somewhere until it was safe to move, which bought a bit of a smile to the groups faces although there was still a little uncertainty in the air. One by one tiredness eventually got the better of them and they headed up to sleep. Eventually Neville and Ginny departed, leaving Harry alone on the sofa with Hermione, who was slouched down with her feet resting on the coffee table in front of them, fast asleep with her head gently resting on his arm. Even whilst asleep she was still trembling. Harry had accepted that he wasn't going to sleep tonight, too much was going through his brain, so he stayed put on the sofa, as he'd hate to wake Hermione and for her not to be able to get some precious sleep again. Eventually the stiffness in his muscles became too much for him and he had to get up off the sofa and stretch his legs around the common room. Looking around there were a few people still in the common room fast asleep. As he got up Hermione started to stir and slowly opened her eyes. 'Hey' said Harry softly and sadly 'sorry for waking you'

'It's okay' she replied groggily, her eyes red from the tears, 'could you not sleep?'

Harry shook his head 'how are you feeling?'

Hermione couldn't get any words out and sobbed into the pillow next to her. Harry sat down by her side 'would you not be comfier upstairs?' he asked.

She shook her head and barely audibly whispered 'Please stay' as she burrowed into his side, tears running freely down her face.

'Of course,' Harry replied softly

Harry awoke with a very numb arm after realising he must've fallen asleep on it last night. Hermione was at the other end of the sofa with her legs sprawled out onto the table in front of the sofa. The sound of footsteps slowly coming down from the bedrooms as the first few early risers began to head down for breakfast. Harry wasn't sure when he'd drifted off, but he was grateful that he'd managed a few hours sleep and a few minutes later Hermione woke up from her slumber too. The atmosphere was no different to last night in the common room, there was little of the usual vibrant chatter and everyone who came down the steps had forlorn, weary faces.

'Are you wanting some breakfast?' he asked her.

'I'm not really hungry but I could do with the walk' she replied solemnly, stretching out her limbs. 'Shall I meet you here in 10?'

'Okay, I'll see if any of the others are up too'

'See you in a sec'

Harry had a quick wash and changed into some fresh clothes before heading back down to the common room, the rest of the boys were still fast asleep so moved as quietly as he could to not disturb them. Whilst he was waiting for Hermione to get ready, he noticed the second-year girl that McGonagall had pulled for a talk yesterday heading down the stairs. She looked terrible, eyes terribly red and puffy and her blonde hair was all over the place. She sat down in a chair on the other side of the room to Harry and burst out into tears. He immediately ran over to her knelt in front of the chair that she was sat in. He had no idea what to say or what he could do to help her. Fortunately, the young girl spoke to him first, sobbing out the words 'why?' she sobbed out 'why would they do that?'

Harry struggled to maintain composure as he searched for a response to her. 'I wish I could tell you'

At that moment McGonagall had returned to the common room looking completely drained and Harry assumed she'd been up all night. She came over to the pair of them, kneeling down next to Harry and putting a reassuring hand on the girl's knee. 'Did you manage to get some rest Millie?'

'A little'

'I've managed to make contact with your grandparents, and they are okay. Unfortunately I can't let you see them right now until a safe and untraceable transport method is established from the castle. If you need to talk about anything my office is always open, and I'm sure Harry here and his friends will help you in any way they can' She finished with a nod at Harry.

'Of course,' replied Harry, trying to be as reassuring as he could be and attempting a warm smile 'you can always talk to me, or Hermione, Ron, or Neville, or Professor Hagrid or anyone, we're all here for you to talk to'

Millie nodded and gave a very small smile in return and rubbed her eyes free of the tears that had built up and mumbled a quiet but appreciative thank you. 'Ah here comes Grace, Millie' McGonagall said with a glance towards the stairs leading towards the dormitories. 'Are you heading down for breakfast?'

Millie gave a nod in reply and stood up and trudged slowly towards her friend who gave her a big hug before they departed from the common room and headed towards the great hall. 'Both her parents were killed in the attack' McGonagall said as the door swung shut 'They were just archivists in the ministry on their way home after finishing their shift when the fighting started'

'I'll look out for her' Harry replied with determination 'and if you need any help with anything professor, I'd much rather be making myself useful than sitting around'

'I know Harry, and thank you' the professor replied gratefully 'once we've established a plan of action, you'll be the first to know, for now be there for your friends and those affected but don't put it all on your shoulders, my door is always open for you too if you need to get anything of your chest'

'Thank you, Professor,'

'Now, I best be off seeing to the others here'

A few minutes later and Hermione emerged from the dormitories and the pair headed down for breakfast. Neither of them had too much of an appetite has Harry explained about Millie as she was eating her toast down the other end of the Gryffindor table. The atmosphere was very different in the great hall to last night. From the panic and uncertainty of the evening it was now deathly quiet and sombre as the effects of the events that had occurred had sunk in overnight. Gradually more and more of their friends came down. Harry was delighted when Ron had explained that Arthur had made it to a safehouse, and that Molly was there too as the burrow was definitely not safe. Lavender had also heard news from that her mum was okay and just had a few minor injuries after her escape from the crossfire, as well as Parvarti being told in the night that her parents were both safe.

The rest of the day moved slowly as there was still no news on the plan of action. Harry had received a letter from Dumbledore that his meeting with him would be pushed back to the evening which Harry concluded must have meant that things were already getting more and more complicated for the staff involved. The sixth years tried everything to keep them occupied, Harry and the other Gryffindor boys had a mini quidditch match outside, Hermione buried herself in the library for a few hours before even she couldn't stand it anymore and headed outside. Eventually at around 8:30pm Harry got a message that Dumbledore was ready to speak to him and he set off from the common room towards his office.

'Sorry for the delay Harry' Dumbledore said as he greeted Harry, eyes weary and looking as if he'd aged 10 years in just one day. 'We have much to discuss'


	2. Chapter 2

The office that Harry had entered now was nothing like the one he had taken his anger out on at the end of last year. For one, Fawkes was absent, presumably out on a task set by Dumbledore, likewise many of the portraits were empty, and those with people present in their frames were talking frantically. Much of the excess furniture and books had been moved elsewhere and sprawling letters, maps and lists sprawled out across the large round table that had been placed in the middle of the room. Around said table were 10 identical chairs spread evenly around it.

'Come Harry, sit' said the headmaster, notioning Harry towards a chair by his desk.

'Thank you, sir,'

'I'm sorry for the delay in this meeting, but now you are here I'll begin by asking how you're faring'

'I'm okay thank you sir, just a bit numb still'

'Professor McGonagall tells me you've been a great help to her last night and this morning and for that I am grateful, she also tells me how eager you are to help around here and I can now share with you our plan for the coming weeks'

Harry leant forwards on his chair, listening intently

'I must ask you however, to keep this to yourself, Miss Granger and Mr Weasley until we are ready to share this news with everyone' Dumbledore added seriously.

'Of course, sir'

'Good, now then, the ministry is completely compromised, it is no longer safe nor salvageable, Voldemort controls it all. Now, that doesn't mean that all is lost however, we still have ways of gathering information about what is going on in there. After a few days rest the death eaters will begin to reform every aspect of the ministry, each department, the press, the staff, to ensure total control of the administration. Now this will take some time to sort which in turn buys us some time. Voldemort also needs time to win over some more supporters, he had enough inside the ministry to pull off the coup, however many were injured and some even killed in the fight and he has not nearly enough to police the entire country, this also buys more time for us to bolster our own numbers. St Mungo's has had to shut, and as have many shops in Diagon Alley. There have been a few reported disappearances too since the coup, however many of these are suspected Voldemort loyalists returning to him and there have been no more major attacks since. That is the position we are currently in, all clear?'

'Yes sir, and thank you for telling me all this'

'Believe me Harry after last year it's the least I can do'

'I'm still sorry for smashing this place up' replied Harry, thinking back to last year.

'Nonsense, it's in the past and believe me, the place needed some redecoration' Dumbledore replied dryly, and for the first time since the news had broke out, he saw a very faint smile and a bit of life back in Dumbledore's eyes. 'So, I assume you're thinking where that leaves us then?' Harry nodded in reply. 'Well, Severus has established contact with the rest of the order in their safehouses. They'll be laying low for the next few days as all transport and movement is being strictly monitored. As you know from last year your late godfathers house was too much of a tight squeeze with only half the order there the majority of the time and that was the largest of the houses we have that are well enough protected. The temporary solution to this is to make Hogwarts the temporary headquarters for the order for the next couple of weeks until we can find somewhere much more permanent and doesn't put students in harms way. We're working on a method of getting people in and out the castle A few of your old friends will be arriving tomorrow to discuss this further, along with some staff here and also Harry, I'd like you and a few other students to sit in on this meeting and contribute towards it, it is now as much your war as it is ours now.'

'Thank you sir, and yes, I would love to' Harry replied to this, 'If you don't mind me asking sir, who are the other students sir?'

'I thought you may ask, well I'd like to leave this up to you Harry, please pick two students to represent the school, might I suggest people with different perspectives and experiences'

'I'll get right on it sir'

'Thank you, have them ready by 2pm sharp tomorrow'

'I won't be late sir' Harry got up to leave and headed towards the door before turning around and asking one final question 'Can Snape really be trusted sir?'

'I would trust him with my life Harry'

'I guess that's good enough for me then' he replied

'You do remind me of your mother sometimes' Dumbledore smiled 'And it's professor Snape, Harry'

'Yes sir, sorry' Harry replied, a little mischievous grin running across his face for a second. He could've sworn Dumbledore echoed it as he turned and left the office.

Harry immediately set to work on thinking about who he should pick to represent the students with him in the meeting tomorrow. He thought that Dumbledore was really trying to make an effort to not repeat last years mistakes of leaving him in the dark, and for that he was very appreciative. His mind initially went towards Ron and Hermione, how could he not pick his two best friends for this? The more he thought about it however he realised it probably wouldn't be the best of ideas. For one, all three of them were not normal students, the experiences that they had endured together set them apart from the other students and had been up against far too much for their age. He also was thinking about Dumbledore suggested picking a range of students which picking the pair of them would not satisfy. If he had to pick one or the other, he would definitely pick Hermione to present her views on this. Being muggle born and heavily invested in projects like SPEW and being very passionate about Hogwarts and education meant she would bring a lot of interesting and insightful opinions to the meeting. The problem was he had no idea who to pick for the second person. He decided it shouldn't be someone from last year's DA as to get a broader range of opinion on the matter and didn't want another Gryffindor for the same reason. That left Harry in a bit of bother as he didn't really know anyone else in the school too well.

After thinking on it alone in the deserted Library for almost an hour he finally came to the conclusion that the other person should be a Slytherin. Many of the Slytherin's had had a torrid time since the announcement, getting lots of dirty looks from other houses almost as if they were being blamed for the attack. Since all of the Slytherin members whose relatives were involved or involved themselves in the attack on the ministry were not back to study this year he thought that it'd be a good chance to here their side of things and to show that he cared about everyone here, not just his friends. The problem, however, was picking the right Slytherin for the job, and he had no idea how to go about it. Eventually he resigned to the fact that he would have to ask Professor Snape for his recommendation. He dragged himself slowly towards his office, knocking on his door once he arrived.

'Come in' came the muffled voice from within.

'What do you want Potter?' the usual venom laced in his voice when addressing Harry gone. Snape looked arguably the most worse for wear of the Hogwarts staff, his whole face looked tired and strained as he sat at his desk writing away.

'Sorry for bothering you Sir, this won't take too long, could I ask you for a recommendation of who to pick from your house to sit on tomorrow's meeting?'

Snape looked surprised at this question, almost a little grateful before replying 'Well might I suggest Miss Greengrass'

'Is she not part of Pansy's gang sir? Would she really help contribute?' Harry asked in a state of surprise and confusion, almost as if Snape was playing a joke on him.

'Go and talk to her and you'll find out' Snape said, dismissing Harry in the process.

As Harry left his office, he thought to himself that he had nothing to lose by talking to her and made his way towards the Slytherin common room. As he was on the way down there he did realise that she was the only one of Pansy's 'gang' to actually return to Hogwarts and looking back she never really joined in with their antics very enthusiastically so Harry was slightly optimistic it would turn out well. His best chance of speaking to her would just to be to wait outside and ask someone returning to it if they knew where she was as it was a long walk back to get his marauder's map. The first few people just scoffed at him and replied with things along the lines of 'well why should I tell you'. Then luckily after 15 minutes or so of trying, Harry her younger sister Astoria was walking down the steps towards him at the entrance of the common room.

'Hi, it's Astoria isn't it?'

'Yes' she replied politely

'Do you by chance know where your sister is? I'm helping the headmaster out and would like to ask her a few questions'

'She's up in the astronomy tower, I'm sure she'll be happy to help'

'Thank you very much' Harry said gratefully and set of towards the tallest tower in the castle. Upon arriving there he found her staring out over the balcony into the night. It was a cloudless night, with stars shining brightly and a half crescent moon placed directly in front of her in the sky.

'Hi Daphne, your sister said that I'd find you there' Harry said as he reached the top of the stairs. She almost jumped out of her skin in surprise when she heard his voice 'Sorry for startling you'

'Oh it's you Potter, why do you need me?' She replied, a little icily but tiredness was the prevailing attribute in her voice. Harry lost a bit of optimism but nevertheless stuck to his task.

'I'd like to ask a few questions if that's okay?'

'What about?'

'Well the headmaster would like some students input on the current state of the school and what's going to happen next. I've been asked to find some people to give their thoughts and I'd like a range of people to do so, so I asked Professor Snape who best to ask from Slytherin and he recommended you'

Daphne threw a brief smile as Harry said that Snape had recommended her for this. 'Could you be more specific about what he wants to hear?' she asked, the iciness slowly leaving her voice.

'Well I don't know too much, but I'm guessing like how people in your house are feeling, if they've got any worries or questions they'd like answering, your thoughts on what the next plan of action is, he wants to make sure the school is doing everything they can'

Daphne mulled this over in her head for a moment before replying 'okay, I'll help'

'Brilliant' said Harry, 'can you meet me in the Library at 1:30 tomorrow with notes on what you want to bring up?'

'I can manage that'

'Amazing, thank you, if you don't mind me asking, how come you're willing to help?' Harry asked, he didn't fully trust her yet so wanted to gather some more information about her.

'You don't really know me do you' she replied, almost bemused, 'Believe it or not I'm not like Pansy or Millicent. Being in Slytherin doesn't really open up for many reasonable friends so I did what I did to survive, got in their good books early to not make my life hell in here and that was that. I never really enjoyed their games or pranks on others, especially the lower years but I didn't really have a choice other than to go along with it. Now they've all gone off and picked their side, I've picked mine. My parents have always agreed with Dumbledore, he helped my mum out when she was feeling the way I do in Slytherin, he's done the same for Astoria too. We were probably the first to believe you and Dumbledore about Voldemort returning too, though god forbid I'd speak that out loud' she laughed 'is that a good enough of an answer for you?' she added with a sly, but not arrogant grin, Harry could tell why she'd been placed in Slytherin.

'Erm, well yes, thank you Daphne' Harry replied, now knowing exactly why Snape had suggested her to him. 'Well I best be off' he continued, realising the time and hoping to catch Hermione before she went to sleep, 'Can you keep this to yourself and your sister please, I'm guessing she'll be asking what I wanted with you'

'Of course, see you tomorrow Potter'

Harry headed back towards the Gryffindor common room from the Astronomy tower, on his way there he thought he'd check the Library in case Hermione was in there doing some reading. It was only a short detour and would save him having to come all the way back down if he found out she wasn't in the common room. He walked over to her usual spot and low and behold she was there fast asleep, her head buried in her arms which were perched on a large book spread out across the desk. Harry almost didn't want to wake her, knowing exactly how important every moment of sleep was at the moment. However, telling her all this information he had found out tonight and starting to prepare for the meeting were very important, as well as saving her from a stiff back in her hunched over position. Harry walked over to her quietly and prodded her shoulder gently to wake her up. Eventually when she started to stir he joked to her quietly 'Doing some light reading are we?'

'Oh shut it' she murmured, still half asleep. 'How did you know I was here?'

'Lucky guess' Harry responded, 'Would you like to know what Dumbledore had to say?' Harry knew that this would wake her up a bit, and on queue she bolted upright, stretching her back out.

'I want to know everything' she said, making Harry laugh

'Of course you do'

Harry told her everything from the meeting that Dumbledore had said. She of course agreed instantly to participate in tomorrows meeting and said she'd be up early preparing for it in the morning. She was very surprised that Harry had picked a Slytherin, let alone one from there year to attend, but as Harry told her of his conversation with her, as well Snape's help Hermione was actually quite proud of him for putting differences aside. They stayed and chatted for a while before eventually tiredness took hold and they trudged slowly back up to the common room where very few people remained up, a quick hug good night and a see you in the morning later and Harry was out for the count in seconds and gratefully in a deep sleep.


End file.
